tes_sandboxfandomcom-20200213-history
Arik II Morgan
Arik II is the son of Cyrus I Morgan and his second wife, Mara Morgan, the first Morgan child to be born during the Reign of the Morgannic Empire. Urged by his mother, he took part in the coup that stole the crown from his sister and made himself "Emperor Arik II Morgan," instigating the Dragon War against his sister. History Early Years Arik II Morgan was born to Cyrus I and his wife, Mara, in the year 5E 20. Mara became pregnant soon before their wedding, and, as Cyrus did not want to besmirch her honor, he married her. It was truly a loveless marriage, as Cyrus would always love his first wife over Mara, and Mara only pretended to love him for her own personal gain. He was only a year old when his mother attempted to convince her husband that he should put aside Fyra and make Arik his heir. Cyrus, of course, refused, as Fyra was his eldest child and very capable. When he was two, his brother, Aenis, was born, and dragon eggs were placed in Arik II's cradle. He received the dragon Seran, enabling him to grow up with the dragon and bond with it immensely over the course of his life. When he was sixteen, following the death of Fyra's first husband, his mother tried to convince her husband to marry Arik II to Fyra so that, even if she was Empress, Arik II would still be Emperor. However, she was again refused. The next year, he married the young Jarl of Solitude, Helaena, and his first children, Jaehar and Jaehara, were born. Along with his brother, Aenis, he got into a fight with Fyra's children, Jais, Luceis, and Kellais, over whether or not his brother should be allowed to ride the dragon Castere, who was formerly ridden by Tiren Morgan. During the argument, Aenis foolishly called the three 'the Strongs,' essentially calling them Bastard children, and an enraged Luceis stabbed out Aenis' eye. Arik II had to be dragged away from the area to be prevented from killing Luceis. A deep hatred for his sister's family grew in his heart. That same year, Arik II's final child, Marin, a boy, was born. Background of the Dragon's War Due to his hatred of his sister and her family, he fully agreed to his mother's devious plan to ensure he is made emperor instead of his sister. Following Cyrus' suspicious death, they got their chance. Instead of alerting his pregnant sister to their father's death, Arik II had himself named "Emperor Arik II Morgan," much to the rage of his sister. He even had his sister's supporters on the Elder Council executed, calling them traitors to the Crown. Thus, he instigated the Dragon's War, the most deadly war in Morgannic history. His supporters included High King Ylgar of Skyrim, father of his wife Helaena; Queen Alyssane of Morrowind; and multiple Counts of Cyrodiil, including Count Jason Hassildor and Count Erod Argon of Bruma. The Dragon's War The first phase of the Dragon's War involved the Red Winter, in which assassinations and murder were rampant among the royal families of Tamriel. The first such murder occurred in the Summerset Isles, after Arik II sent Prince Aenis to get King Fellerion on his side. Prince Aenis killed Prince Luceis, Fyra's second son, in an act of hideous revenge that dragged King Fellerion into the war on the side of Arik. However, Fyra and her husband, Tarin, would not let that stand. Tarin had two assassins sneak into the Imperial Palace while Arik was off flying with his dragons, and they held Empress Helaena and her children hostage. They questioned Helaena as to which of her children should die, and, in desperation, she answered the baby Marin, who was too young to understand. Instead, the assassins murdered Prince Jaehar, Arik II's heir, and fled. Arik, enraged by the death of his son, started the second phase, Total War, when he ordered his allies to begin to attack. On his orders, his father-in-law, Ylgar, sacked Elinhir, allowing his Nords to pillage the city and run rampant, killing children and raping young women, even bringing down the Apex Tower that watched over the city. Arik II then sent his youngest son, Marin, to Riften in an attempt to protect him, but, on the way, his Royal Escort was attacked by an unruly mob of peasants, and the young Prince was torn apart by the peasants. Arik II's rage knew no bounds upon the brutal death of his youngest child. He ordered the launch of a fleet to 'burn the traitors' at Leyawiin, as Leyawiin was one of the only Cyrodiilic cities that pledged for Fyra instead of him. He set sail with the fleet, something his sister, Fyra, never did. When they arrived at Leyawiin, the first sight to greet them was the dragon that flew out of the city immediately, burning the first few ships. Given by the dragon's maroon scales, Arik and Aenis had to guess that it High Queen Fiera of Daggerfall upon her dragon, Merax. Although they knew the pair were formidable, Arik and Aenis mounted their dragons, Seran and Castere, and flew to meet her, realizing they could beat her together. The battle between the three dragons was brutal and gruesome, as Merax burned Seran's wings and Castere tore off Merax's foot. Fiera was much more skilled at fighting on dragonback, and was thus able to put arrows into Aenis' sword arm and Arik's legs before they could truly react. However, in the end, the might of Castere proved too much for Merax, and the maroon dragon fell from the sky. Unwilling to abandon her closest companion, Fiera died with her. The Emperor and his dragon were critically wounded, however, and would not partake in another large-scale battle for the rest of the war. Arik II returned to the Imperial City to recover from his wounds, but had to separate from the dragon Seran because the dragon was too large to be moved. He turned over most of the battle planning and commanding to his brother, Aenis, choosing instead to occupy his time with rooting out spies and trying to find ways to kill Fyra and her children. Due to his obsession with assassination, Arik II never consoled his wife, Helaena, who lost two children and watched her husband get maimed all in the space of a few months. In her grief and loneliness, she threw herself from the top of the White-Gold Tower. Although Arik II was never truly mad enough to be considered one of the Mad Dragons (of the likes of Aratius Morgan, Aerion Brightflame, or Aros the Mad Emperor), it is said that he became unhinged that day, and was prone to more and more executions of those who failed him. The only time he left the Imperial City after he was wounded was in 5E 45, six months after Helaena's suicide, after Fyra Morgan and Tarin Oakvale began to move towards the Imperial City. He fled from the city, going to the one place no one would ever look for him: Fyra's own home in the Topal Bay. He founds his dragon, Seran, and gathered an army of peasants living in the Topal City who were angry with Fyra for various reasons, and besieged her castle. Seran ensured that no messages left the castle, and, finally, the gates were opened to his armies. Arik II rode Seran over the castle to watch as it was ransacked, and was extremely surprised to see another dragonrider flying up to meet him. Lady Bella of Daggerfall, daughter of Tarin Oakvale, on her dragon Moone, rose to stop him. Though Moone was very small for a dragon, he was quick, and was able to fatally wound Seran. With Moone's jaws locked on Seran's throat, and Seran ripping the wings off of Moone, the two dragons fell from the sky together. Arik II leaped from the dragons at the last moment, only breaking his legs, but Lady Bella stayed with them to the end, and nearly died. Arik II ordered her executed, but a kindly priest smuggled her out before she could be maimed. Death Arik II held the Topal City for over a year, until his sister finally came back to the City broke and without guards, with only her son, Arik III, and a small retinue of ladies behind her. Arik II immediately took her and her child hostage. Arik II fed Fyra to the dragon Seran as the dragon died, forcing her son to watch all the while. Because of this act of barbarism, even his own retainers came to fear and hate the Emperor. As he raged about his plans to continue the Dragon's War and maim Arik III, his councilors slipped Jarrin Root into his wine, and he died alone. Legacy As Fyra's children took the throne after his death, they were given the opportunity to write history in their favor and, as such, Arik II is reviled as one of history's greatest villains. This, along with the fact that his only child to survive the Dragon's War, Jaehaera, died childless, Arik II had no legacy upon the world in the form of descendants. Appearance and Personality Arik II was renowned as a very handsome man. He had high cheekbones and a defined jaw. However, due to his youth at the time of his death, he had only the barest wisp of a beard upon his face. He had the raven-black hair typical of his family, along with deep green eyes, like his father. Leading up to his near-death at Leyawiin, Arik wore the ancient Emperor's Armor, dating all the way back to the second era. He bore an enchanted broadsword, Dragonfang, which came to be used by many Morgan Emperors, the next being Daenar I. Although considered a villain who tore apart the Empire, Arik was actually rather kind to the small folk, and a good ruler. He treated everyone with justice, up to the death of his wife. Following Helaena's death, Arik became exceedingly paranoid and unhinged, prone to doing anything to get what he wanted. Dragon Arik II rode the dragon Seran, a medium-sized dragon with beautiful golden scales, shot through with swirls of red. The dragon was known to be even-tempered, although it followed every single one of Arik's orders. Category:Morgannic Canon Category:Males Category:Characters Category:Emperors Category:Royalty Category:Augments